


Confrontation

by little0bird



Series: Stolen Time [17]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 07:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20287537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little0bird/pseuds/little0bird





	Confrontation

Before James Potter became a father, he would have been the first to admit he was something of a selfish git. But the day she told him they were expecting a child, everything changed.

It wasn't that he wouldn't do everything in his power to protect Lily, Sirius, or Remus (and he would grudgingly put a Shield charm up between Peter and whatever creature felt he was a tasty snack), but he knew they could help themselves.

But a baby…?

Babies were helpless, defenseless beings, who needed selfless protection.

James had known the first time he'd felt Harry kick, that he would do anything to protect this child, even throw himself in front of Unforgivable, if it meant Harry would survive. He knew on that fateful night, when Voldemort had blasted through the door of their house that he would die, if it meant his son would live.

So when he realized Remus had abandoned his pregnant wife, James was more than a bit baffled. Nothing short of death would have made him leave Lily when she was carrying Harry.

As much as James longed to confront Remus about it, he didn't think he'd have the opportunity to do it so soon.

He waited what he felt was an appropriate amount of time to allow Remus to adjust to his new state of affairs, then fired his first salvo.

It wasn't hard to find Remus. After so many years of being terrified of a full moon, he now spent hours gazing at it, when the opportunity arose. So James waited, lurking in the darkness until Remus' young wife made her way into the small cottage they shared. James wound his way through the clearing and dropped to the ground next to Remus. 'Moony,' he murmured.

'Prongsie…' Remus waited expectantly for James to continue.

'There's something I don't understand,' James began. 'Why would you leave Tonks and your unborn child?'

'Of course you don't,' Remus retorted. 'You're not a werewolf. You weren't more dangerous than what we were fighting,' he said firmly. 'You didn't know if your child was going to be a werewolf, if he wasn't going to rip and maim his own mother from the inside out,' he said tightly. 'So, no… I couldn't stay there and watch that happen. Watch the only woman I've ever allowed myself to love die because of me. Not because Death Eaters would go after her for marrying me. But because what I am could have infected our child. Something we created during a respite from all the pain and suffering would be the cause of more pain and suffering. You tell me, James… You tell me how I was supposed to have stayed.'

James looked at Remus for a long moment. 'But didn't you cause just as much pain by leaving?'

'I went back,' Remus protested weakly.

'But how much time did you lose? How much time did you lose by being afraid of your own life?' James ran a hand over his hair. 'You know, I never believed you were a coward,' he said conversationally. 'I just thought you didn't like confrontation, and you would just deal with the consequences later. But you took the easy way out on that one, mate.'

James pushed himself to his feet and walked away.


End file.
